Vending machine



Jan. 12, 1932. J, J SCHMELZ 1,840, 8 51 VENDING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwwmtoc 7.1327172! eZz Jan. 12, 19.32. J J SCHMELZ 1,840,851

' VENDINQ MACHINE Filed July 25, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I wwm Jan. 125-1932. I J. J/SCHMELZ 1,840,851

VENDING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented JantlZ, 1932 g v a r as PATH; w

JOHN 3'. SGHMELZ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG'NOB F QN ErTIII'RD TO C. P.- STANTON AND ONE-THIRD TO IE-I VV'. BUTLER, BOTH OF SANFBANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

VENDING ivrAc'nrnn Application filed July 25, 1528. Serial No. 295,232.

7 This invention relates to a vending mamerchandise wheel should the person trying chine, and it is especially intended for the to do so, reach in through the opening propurpose. of vending large objects, such as vided for the escape of thefruit therefrom;- apples, oranges or other things of that char- The only thing that canbe done in such a acter. i v case is to rotate the wheel slightly'in one One object of the invention is to produce direction or the other, but it is almost imme I a coin detector for vending machines which diately stopped at the end of that slight will show two coins atone time and thereby movement. 7 r discourage the .plac'ingof counterfeit coins An0ther object of the inventiomis" to pro 7 it or disks in the machine. v I duce a vending machine which will haveas Another ob'ect of the machine is to produce few parts as possible and which can be very a coin detector which will drop out all coins easily and cheaply constructed, and which except those thatv are substantially of the will have all of the upper sections of the same'diameter as the coin that is supposed vending wheel open for inspection through 15 t o rat th machine, a glass cover, thereby showing thecustonier Another object of the machine is to projust exactly what'particular fruit or package duce a coin receiving apparatus for the -rnahewill receive, and making sure that there chine, which must be turned 180 degrees to are a sufficient number of the packages in drop the nickel or coin out of the receiving place in the wheel to be properly operative. device, as to make it certain that only coins V Otherobjects of the invention will be apof the proper dimensions will be droppe'd'int'o parent as the description proceeds. the machine, any other coin dropping An enibodiment'of the invention is shown straight through the machine when it is first in the accompanyingdrawings in which the placed therein. same'reference numeral is applied to the same Q Another object of the invention isjto pro portion throughout the several figures of the vide means wherebythe coin will be'forced drawings and of which there may be modifidown into the machine with the operati onof cations. I f a the cam or the device which carries thenickel Figure 1 is a front elevation of the comthereby making it certain that the machine pletem'achine, I will operate promptly when the nickel has Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view been placed therein. Spring means is also through one ofthe vending wheels, provided for insuring the release of the nickel Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the vendduring thereturn stroke of the apparatus. ing wheels showing the operating mechanism Another object of the invention is to pro-i therefor, I Y

videmeans whereby the nickel when forced "Figure dis a front elevation of the coin reinto the machine will engage the operating ceiving attachment with its'front plate reslide which permits the operation of the slide moved therefrom for purposes of illustration, holder-which will then turn the merchandise Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view wheel one notch, special means being prothrough the coin receiving plate, andthe vided to prevent the merchandise wheel from vending wheeloperating mechanism, and

being turned more than one notch. I FigureTG is a plan view of the vending Another object of the invention is to prowheel operating mechanism with the coin re vide a mechanism which is capable of work ceiving plate detached from the front of the ing two nickels out of the machine if that machine. l

many are put in it more than should be, with- This machine is supported at about the 95 out sending the machine to be repaired, but height of a counter or table by means of four in no instance can the main wheel be said to legs one tot inclusive which carry a floor 5 be inoperative. V upon which the operating casing of'the ma,-

Another object of the invention is to prochine, and the movable parts are'supported; vide, means tolpreventzthe operation of the 'I'he'imachine has front walls 6, side walls 7v and 8, and a back wall 9. The top of the machine is curved and may have a glass 10 covering the front quadrant to permit the prospective purchaser to view all of the objects in the front portions of the wheels for holding them individually.

Extending entirely across the machine from one end wall 7 to the other end wall 8 here is a shaft 12 on which the vending wheels are supported, and upon which they rotate. In the present case there are three vending wheels marked A, B and C although the number of vending wheels depends entirely upon the desires of the constructor of the machine with respect to its size, and one only will be described.

Each vending wheel has two sheet metal disks as indicated at 13 and 14-, which disks are spaced apart by a series of flat plates attached thereto as indicated at 15 there being a plurality of these plates to produce a plurality of pockets in which the objects to be sold are placed. The bottoms of these pockets are formed by a cylindrical sheet metal strip 16 which strip extends entirely across the space between the disks 13 and 14. One of the disks has a hub 17 secured thereto, which hub also carries two ratchet members 18 and 19, the teeth of which are oppositely placed.

Secured on the bottom 5 is a stiii spring 20 which has an upper end bent over at 21 to engage the'teeth of the disk 19 and prevent it from rotating more than one step at a time there being a corresponding number of steps on the disk 19 to the number of pockets formed by the partitions of the merchandise wheel.

On the front wall of the machine at 6 there is an angle bar 22 which forms the support for a slide 23. said slide carrying a plunger rod 24 which is held in the position shown in Figure 5 by means of a stiff spiral spring 26, said rod having a flat head at 27 against which the end of the spiral spring bears. This rod is threaded at its end and screwed into a block 27, a lock 28 securing it in afixed position with respect to said block.

This block has a lug proiecting therefrom at 29 which lug strikes ball at 30 to push the pawl 31 out of engagement with the wheel 19, during such time as the plunger is pushed backwardly by the coin in the operating slide. The pawl 31 is pivoted on an arm 32 carried by the bracket 23.

The bal 30 is an ordinary form of cupboard catch ball with a spiral spring 33 inside the pawl 31 to hold said pawl temporarily out of engagement withthe pawl wheel 19. A spring 34 pulls the pawl 31 normally to the position shown in Figure 5 when the operating plunger is released. V

The block 27 carries a stiff spring 36 on the top of which is a lighter spring 3? for engagement with the pawl wheel 18 in rotating the vending wheel to which it is attached. The spring 36 is for the purpose of disengaging the hook 21 on the spring 20 from the pawl wheel 19 to permit the rotation of the pocketed wheels one step.

It will be seen that the spring 20 and the pawl 31 act as an escapement in the operation of the pocketed wheels, in that the pocketed wheels may rotate a portion of a turn when the pawl 31 is disengaged, but unless rotated more than a half of a notch will not be disengaged from the hook 21 until well beyond the half position, whereupon the pawl 31 will be again in position to stop the wheel at the end of one full notch upon the return of the operating plunger 24.

The money slide is indicated at 38 and it is freely slidable in the bracket 23, but it will not operate the plunger 24 unless a nickel. has been placed in its slot 39. The money receiving slide consists of a plate 40 which is screwed on the front of the ma chine with its lower portion depending over the money slide 38 to direct the money thereinto. It has a glass front as indicated at 41, and an opening 42 at the back which will permit any money dropped into the receiving cylinder 43 to drop out of the machine if it is too small to be retained by the money receiving cylinder 43.

The money receiving cylinder is journalled in two upwardly extending standards 44, 45, which are connected to the plate 40 and also connected to the plate 40 is a plate 46 with two fingers 47, 48 to prevent the coin being remoyed from the money receiving cylinder 43 when it is turned forwardly by means of the handle 48 to drop the coin into the slide 49 at the back of the brass plate 41.

The brass plate 41 shows two coins at a time. A spring 50 mounted on the back of the plate 40 holding the coins in the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4 until the cam 52 on the money receiving cylinder 43 pushes the coin down the slot past the spring 50 whereupon it will drop into the slot 39 and enable the money operating slide 38 to push the plunger 24 back into the machine to operate one of the vending wheels. A spring 55 aids in the operation of the plunger 34 and holds it back with suflicient force to enable the nickel to be dropped through the slot 55 when the plunger is released, the money falling into a drawer 56 supported on a Z-shaped bracket 57 which is secured to the front wall 6 just below the angle plate 22 which supports the slide 23.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

Assuming the dispensing wheels to be filled with the object to be sold, the owner of the machine will place two coins in each of the coin receivers thus filling the spaces from the coin cylinder 43 to the small spring 50.

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, whereupon the cam 52 upon the return stroke will push the coins all downwardly the lowermost coin passing the spring 50 and dropping into the slot 39 of the plunger operating slide 38. If this coin is of the proper size it will be retained by that slotwhich will more carefully size it than the cylinder 48., but if not it will drop out of the machine. Thereupon the purchaser can then push the slide 38 back, this will then cause the plunger 24 to be pushed backwardly, the first movement of which will be ,'to release the pawl 31 from its pawl wheel 19. The next movement will cause a slight shifting of the wheel 18 with the wheel 19 and the dispensing wheel, and disengage the pawl 20 from the wheel 19, thereby permitting the wheel 18 to be turned one full notch; but at the same time the lug 29 will have passed the spring pressed ball 30 and allowed the pawl 31 to be restored to its position against the edge of the pawl wheel 19 to insure against shifting the merchandise wheels more than one space. As soon as the merchandise falls out of the compartment in which it is carriedlonto the floor 6 it will roll out onto the self 66 and may be removed from the machine. Thereupon the slide 38 will be restored to its initial position by the operation of the spring 26 and plunger 24.

It will be seen that the plunger slide 38 may be pushed in or pulled out, without in any way afiecting the operation of the machine unless a coin has been dropped into its slot 39. In order to provide for refilling the merchandise wheels the cover may be hinged at 71 at the back of the machine, and,

above particularly described form thereof,

within the purview of the annexed claims.

1. A vending machine comprising a casing, a merchandise wheel in said casing, a pawl wheel adapted to drive said merchandise wheel, a second pawl wheel fixed to the first pawl wheel and having teeth oppositely disposed to those of the first pawl wheel, amanually operable slide, a pawl mounted on said slide and adapted to drive the first placing said escapement pawls during the operation of said driving pawl.

2. A vending machine comprising a casing,

a merchandise wheel, a pawl wheel adapted to drive said merchandise Wheel, a secondv pawl wheel fixed to the first pawl wheel and having teeth oppositely disposed to those of the first pawl wheel, a slide, a pawl mounted on said slide and adapted to drive the first pawl wheel, a pair of escapement pawls mounted on'said casing, a member coacting with the driving pawl and adapted to temporarily displace one of said escapement pawls, and a second member coacting with the driving pawl and adapted to displace the second escapement pawl subsequent to the displacement of the first pawlQ In testimony whereof I have my hand this 12th day of July, A. D. 1928.

1 JOHN J. SOHMELZ.

hereunto set 

